Presidential Debate Monday: Schedule, What to Look For in Clinton-Trump Showdown

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will meet in their first presidential debate Monday night moderated by NBC News anchor Lester Holt at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Debate watch parties are being held across Northern Virginia, with some area Republicans meeting at the Greene Turtle in Fairfax and some Democrats gathering at Mad Rose Tavern on Clarendon Boulevard in Arlington. The 90-minute debate begins at 9 p.m. ET and will be aired live on C-SPAN, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, as well as all cable news channels including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC among others.

Monday's presidential debate will be divided into six timed segments of approximately 15 minutes each on major topics to be selected by Holt. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

“This might be the all-time mismatch on command of policy,” said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University's Arlington campus. “But the debate format—15-minute segments on various topics—may not highlight the huge mismatch here.”

Does it matter what the candidates look like or how their body language is perceived?

Clinton will "be polished, prepared and knowledgeable. She can't compete on his [Trump's] level for attention, so I expect her to look like the grownup in the room," says Jennifer Victor, an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Division of Political Science at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Here are some famous moments of how looks or mannerisms have been perceived in past presidential debates:

• Kennedy vs. Nixon: Many who listened to the 1960 debate on the radio thought Richard Nixon had won the debate; but those who watched it, the first televised presidential debate, reacted differently. Time magazine noted that Nixon appeared "sickly and sweaty" while opponent John F. Kennedy appeared "calm and confident."
• Bush Sr. looking at his watch: In 1992, Bill Clinton wandered the debate stage, a la Oprah, while George H.W. Bush sat and looked at his watch. Many interpreted it as Bush being disengaged.

One-liners: Sometimes a one-liner can lighten up a debate, knock an opponent off their game or deliver a clear message to voters.

“Trump will come with prepared zingers—one-liners intended to damage Clinton and draw attention," predicts Victor. "He's likely to be successful. He'll also attempt to be a bit more polished and presidential than he is on the campaign trail. His performances in the GOP debates is likely predictive of what we can expect Monday.”

Some famous zingers from past debates include:

• Quayle vs. Bentsen: In the 1988 debate between vice-presidential candidates Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen, Quayle had often compared his length of service in the Senate to that of John F. Kennedy. In response, Bentsen said in a line that became famous: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
• Reagan vs. Mondale: In the 1984 presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale (Mondale was 56 at the time), Reagan, then 73 years old, said: "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

Will the debate make a huge difference among undecided voters?

“The first debate can make all the difference or make no difference at all,” said Martin Sherwin, a professor of history in Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “For example, [John F.] Kennedy’s superior performance (to the TV audience) during the first debate with [Richard] Nixon gave him the boost that he needed to go forward and win by the narrowest margin ever. But in 2012,[ Mitt] Romney clearly won the first debate. [Barack] Obama was pretty lame, yet he went on to win. So debates are not everything.”

After Monday's debate, Clinton's running mate, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, will debate Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. The debate will be moderated by Elaine Quijano, anchor, CBS News.

Trump and Clinton will meet in two other debates: Sunday, Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis and Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the University of Las Vegas. The second debate will be in the form of a town hall, moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC News' Martha Raddatz. The last debate will be moderated by FOX News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace.

Photos by Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons